Department for Transport

A419

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to make an announcement on proposals to improve access to the A419 from Junction 13 of the M5.

Jesse Norman: Highways England have undertaken a study of the performance of the Strategic Road Network, including the A419 from Junction 13 of the M5, as part of the Highways England Strategic Road Network Initial Report published in December 2017. This is part of the evidence gathering for the development of the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2). The Department will announce its decisions on future strategic road investment in RIS2 in 2019.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Costs

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of High Speed Two, Phase 1 at today's prices.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: A long term funding envelope of £27.18bn has been established for HS2 Phase 1, expressed in 2015 prices. We are determined to deliver Phase 1 within this amount to provide the best value for tax payers. On this basis, all costs are expressed in a comparable price base to ensure we effectively monitor progress towards this objective.

Shipping: Migrant Workers

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0303 of his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what assessment he has made of the industrial factors responsible for the increase in the number of non-EEA seafarer Ratings employed in the UK shipping industry from 2015 to 2017.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0303 of his Department's statistical release,  Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what assessment he has made of the industrial factors responsible for the increase in the number of EEA seafarer Ratings employed in the UK shipping industry from 2015 to 2017.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0303 of his Department's statistical release,  Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what assessment he has made of the industrial factors responsible for the increase in the number of UK seafarer Ratings employed in the UK shipping industry from 2015 to 2017.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0302 of his Department's statistical release,  Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of (a) Deck, (b) Engine and (c) General Purpose Ratings working at sea who are aged between 40 and 61 years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The increase in ratings shown by these statistics is welcome. To date, there has been no assessment of the factors that have contributed to this trend, though an increase in vessels in operation and a recovery in the offshore sector could be contributors. These statistics can also fluctuate depending on the membership of the Chamber of Shipping or the level of response to the annual manpower survey. It is essential there is a growing stream of people entering seafaring careers to counter the aging demographic we see in the UK’s seafarer population. That is why there are a number of policies in place to support the training of both ratings and officers. These include a range of maritime apprenticeships with more in development, a doubling of the SMarT budget from £15m to £30m over the next seven years and a drive to address gender diversity to encourage more females to enter maritime careers. The Department for Transport is keen to promote training and employment opportunities for ratings. The Ratings Taskforce, of which the Department is an active member, has been reconvened to consider this, and there is a role for industry and unions to support Government initiatives in this area.

Merchant Shipping: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, how many merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping are not crewed with UK Ratings.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, how many merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping are registered on (a) the UK Ship Register, (b) Red Ensign Group registers and (c) open international shipping registers.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, if he will estimate the number of Ratings employed by companies that are not members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, how many UK Ratings working at sea for UK Chamber of Shipping member companies are from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Shipping: Migrant Workers

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what proportion of Ratings jobs in the UK shipping industry are held by non-EEA nationals.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Based on the latest statistics, which relate to the end of June 2017, an estimated 73 per cent of ratings of known nationality employed by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping are non-EEA nationals. These figures are based on table SF0303 which was released as part of the ‘Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017’ statistics.

Shipping

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0302 of his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, if he will estimate the number of the (a) Deck, (b) Engine, (c) Catering/Hotel/Other and (d) General Purpose Ratings working at sea who will have reached their state pension age by (i) 2020, (ii) 2025 and (iii) 2030.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The current age profile of ratings active at sea is presented in table SFR0302, though no estimate has been made of the number of ratings that will reach their state pension age by any specific date. In response to the 2015 Maritime Growth Study, the Department commissioned projections of the UK supply and demand for trained seafarers to fulfil roles at sea, with the latest projections published alongside Seafarer statistics: 2016 in January 2017. This report provides estimates of the total number of UK nationality ratings in 2020 and 2025, but does not provide an age profile for this population.

Bus Services: Franchises

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many expressions of interest in bus franchising his Department has received from local authorities since the Bus Services Act 2017 came into force.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Bus Services Act 2017 automatically gives Mayoral Combined Authorities the powers they need to franchise buses. It also allows the Secretary of State to grant these powers to other groups of local authorities by means of a statutory instrument and consent to a specific scheme. My officials are currently assisting interested local authorities and Mayoral Combined Authorities to determine which of the powers provided in the Bus Services Act 2017 are best able to support bus networks in their areas.

Taxis: Licensing

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing has made; and when that Group's concluding report is planned to be (a) submitted to his Department for consideration and (b) made publicly available.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing is nearing the conclusion of its considerations and is expected to submit its report shortly. The Government will consider the report and options for publication in due course.

Cars

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for a car scrappage scheme that extends to all cars.

Jesse Norman: The Government is not proposing to take forward a national scrappage scheme at this time given concerns as to the deliverability and value for money of scrappage schemes. However, it has committed to helping local authorities support individuals and businesses affected by local air quality plans, via the £220 million Clean Air Fund.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 140558 on motor vehicles: theft, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory insurance cover for the cost of recovering stolen vehicles from the police.

Jesse Norman: In the UK and many other countries the minimum insurance requirement for using a motor vehicle is third party liability cover. This ensures injured parties are financially protected in the event of a collision whilst helping keep the cost of insurance affordable for all motorists. Many motorists however choose to take out more comprehensive cover, which depending on the terms of the policy, may include cover for the cost of recovering their vehicle if it is stolen. If such comprehensive cover were to become mandatory this would likely increase the cost of insurance for motorists. For this reason the Government has no plans to make such cover mandatory.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Property

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many properties purchased by the Government from people affected by High Speed 2 are now (a) let, (b) empty and (c) sold.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As at 31 May, 923 properties have been acquired, 553 of which are let. 1 has been sold and the remainder are empty, i.e. either seeking letting or have been transferred to the works contractors for construction.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Compensation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason compensation was awarded to people affected by the route of High Speed 2 before that route was finalised.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Although HS2 will benefit the whole country, the Government understands the impact and anxiety that its proposals had on property owners affected by route proposals. As with other large-scale infrastructure projects, once route proposals are published, it is not uncommon for local properties to experience the effects of generalised blight. That is why the Government launched a suite of HS2 non-statutory property compensation schemes between 2010 and 2017 in advance of and at route phase announcements to address those impacts. In addition, qualifying owner-occupiers have a statutory entitlement to apply to the Government to have their property purchased where a proposed route is protected from conflicting development through the issuing of safeguarding directions.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Compensation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much compensation was awarded to (a) individuals and (b) companies as a result of the High Speed Two route.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the dates on which recipients of compensation from the original route received their payments.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the decision was taken to award compensation to people affected by HS2.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The first of the non-statutory property compensation schemes was introduced on Phase One in January 2010. Since then, the wider suite of statutory and non-statutory schemes have been progressively applied to the three phases of the HS2 route. The Government conducted large scale public consultations before extending the non-statutory property compensation schemes to each phase of the route. The schemes are generous and comprehensive. The Government does not publish the date or details of individual compensation awards. Since the first property compensation scheme was launched in January 2010, a total of £1,791,287,522 has been paid out as at the end of May 2018 to residential and commercial property owners. The schemes will remain in place until one year after each phase of HS2 is fully operational.

Official Cars: Exhaust Emissions

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 50 of the Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on making 25 per cent of all cars in the central government department fleet ultra-low emission by 2022.

Jesse Norman: It is for individual Government departments to determine how they work towards this target. In December last year the Government updated the Government Buying Standards for transport to include this new commitment. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles is also providing guidance to public sector fleet managers. We expect these steps to encourage public fleets across the country to adopt ambitious targets and deliver on them in the coming years.

Luton Airport

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Civil Aviation Authority plans to publish its Post-Implementation Review of the introduction of RNAV at London Luton Airport; and will he make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The process for managing airspace changes in the UK rests with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In August 2015, the CAA gave approval to Luton Airport to implement RNAV (Area Navigation) on its Runway 26 BPK departure routes. The change took effect in August 2015, and the CAA is now reviewing it as part of its Post Implementation Review (PIR) process. To support the PIR, the CAA is seeking feedback, via a survey, on both the impacts of the RNAV change and the data provided by Luton Airport in support of the PIR. The survey closes on Monday 2 July 2018. The CAA aims to review both the evidence provided by Luton Airport and the relevant feedback received from the survey with a view to publishing the completed PIR by the end of the year.

Air Space: South East

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on proposals for a major overhaul of airspace allocations in the South East of England; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Airspace modernisation is a priority for the Government. It should ensure that we have an optimal airspace configuration that can meet the future reasonable demands of airspace users, whilst also minimising the environmental effects of noise and emissions. In 2017, the Secretary of State commissioned NATS to produce a feasibility assessment of the potential future airspace requirements for airports in southern England. This work was the first step in the co-ordination of airspace modernisation, examining its feasibility, and potential implementation. NATS provided its report to the Department in May 2018, and it is now being assessed with the help of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). We expect to publish the high level findings of this report later this year. The NATS report will be taken into account by the CAA as it develops the strategy and plan for the modernisation of UK airspace which the Department has tasked it to do. The CAA is due to provide its first report to the Department on the plan’s delivery in December 2018, and annually thereafter.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Compensation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many letters he has received from (a) individuals and (b) companies on compensation for the original HS2 route.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of letters received by the Department on Property Compensation in the last three years on the original HS2 route is listed below: Year  Letters201682201769201841

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Oral Statement of 5 June 2018 on Airports National Policy Statement, Official Report, column 169, whether there are any existing (a) legal mechanisms and (b) legally contracted agreements in place with Heathrow Airport Limited to enable the ringfencing of slots on a new runway at Heathrow Airport.

Jesse Norman: Slots at Heathrow are currently allocated by the independent slot coordinator Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) in accordance with the EU slot regulations. Government will take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations. This includes the ring-fencing of appropriately timed slots. The Government has no legally contracted agreements in place with Heathrow Airport Limited to enable the ring-fencing of slots but the proposed Airports National Policy Statement sets out an expectation that expansion at Heathrow will deliver an additional six domestic routes and this will be examined as part of any Development Consent Order application. The Secretary of State also has a clear ambition for about 15 per cent of slots made available from a new runway to be used for domestic routes.

Regional Airports

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government can designate a new Public Service Obligation route from a regional airport to a city airport in addition to an existing route operating to that city.

Jesse Norman: EU Regulation 1008/2008 sets out that Public Service Obligations (PSOs) can be considered on an airport to airport basis. Where an existing route is already operating to that destination city, a PSO can still be considered, provided the criteria set out in the Regulation are met.

Heathrow Airport Limited

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had meetings with Heathrow Airport Limited since June 2017; and if he will place a copy of the minutes of those meetings in the Library.

Jesse Norman: Ministers and officials have met regularly with Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) since June 2017 to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the operation of the UK’s largest airport, as well as the potential delivery of its proposed expansion. These meetings are governed by propriety arrangements set out in the Statement of Approach, which is published online:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/653867/engaging-with-stakeholders-statement-of-approach-revised-draft-airports-nps.pdf The minutes of such meetings include material relating to HAL’s private business operations. The release of this information would be likely to prejudice their commercial interests. Given that the amount of information in question is substantial, redacting and preparing the records for release would have a disproportionate cost.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150255, for what reasons no reference was made to the average level of local funding for High Speed 2 rail stations in receipt of local funding.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: All HS2 stations are unique, with differing requirements at each location in terms of; landscape, station construction, and local aspirations and connectivity. These requirements need different amounts of local funding. There is no reportable average because requirements and funding discussions are still evolving.

Regional Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has undertaken an assessment of the financial viability of using public service obligations to support regional airports; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: As the Department’s ‘Guidance on the Protection of Regional Air Access to London’ states, the Department will conduct a Value for Money assessment on the economic case for any bids for funds. This was undertaken on each of the existing PSO routes to London, from Newquay, Dundee and Londonderry.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding the Government has allocated to support a connection to an expanded Heathrow Airport from regional airports.

Jesse Norman: The Government expects that the majority of domestic routes will be commercially viable, as many are today, with support from Heathrow Airport. This support includes discounted charges for domestic passengers at Heathrow, and a £10 million Route Connectivity Fund for domestic services to and from Heathrow. The Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). PSOs provide the opportunity to offer exclusive rights to airlines to operate a route. The Government currently provides subsidies for three PSO routes to London: Newquay to Gatwick; Londonderry to Stansted; and Dundee to Stansted. The Government’s approach to domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy towards the end of this year, and the extent to which subsidies may be required can only be determined subject to market conditions nearer to the time at which new capacity becomes operational.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the financial viability of the proposal to expand Heathrow Airport.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish any assurance work undertaken by his Department on the financial viability of the proposal to expand Heathrow Airport.

Jesse Norman: The Government and its advisers have undertaken considerable assurance work on the financial viability of Heathrow Airport Limited's scheme. Given the transformative nature of the scheme, there will inevitably be various risks and challenges that need to be addressed as the scheme design and regulatory framework are developed. The Government’s independent advice has concluded that, so far as can be assessed at this early stage of the process, in current market conditions Heathrow Airport Limited appears in principle to be able to finance expansion privately without Government support. This includes taking into consideration the effect of the UK leaving the European Union. The Government is not publishing the financial assurance work that has been undertaken as it is based on and contains information provided in confidence, and to do so would prejudice commercial interests. Separately, the Civil Aviation Authority has published its own view that there are credible scenarios in which expansion can be financed and delivered affordably. This can be found online at:(http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1658EconomicregulationofcapacityexpansionatHeathrow.pdf)

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what policies the Government plans to adopt to ensure that expansion at Heathrow airport does not result in continued breaches of legal limits on air quality.

Jesse Norman: The Government believes that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered without undermining the UK’s compliance with air quality limits, given the measures set out in the Government’s Air Quality Plan. The Government’s view has been informed by the air quality analysis of the Northwest Runway scheme, which was published in October 2017. It should be noted that this does not take into account scheme specific mitigations that any applicant could take forward to address its air quality impact. The proposed Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) requires the applicant to consider an extensive range of air quality mitigation measures, potentially including an emissions-based access charge. Development consent will only be granted if the Secretary of State is satisfied that, with mitigations, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations on air quality.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the next review of High Speed 2 Phase One by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority is planned be undertaken.

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the details of the review of High Speed 2 Phase One to be agreed with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority; and if he will publish those details once so agreed.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The next review of HS2 Phase One will take place in September 2018, and the Terms of Reference will be agreed with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority over the summer. We do not publish either the terms of reference or the outcomes of these reviews as this would prejudice the safe space for policy formulation.

High Speed Two: Staff

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which posts have been filled at HS2 Ltd since the start of  2018; and what the (a) job title and (b) salary range is for each post.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd have had 143 new starters in 2018. It would be inappropriate to provide a list of job titles and the salary for each individual employee for these posts. Disclosure of this information would be in breach of data protection principles.

Department for Transport: Staff

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials in his Department are working (a) full-time and (b) part-time on High Speed Two; and what the (i) grade and (ii) salary range is of those officials.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Please see the below table with the number of members within the different grades working in HS2 and their salary ranges.  Levels of Grades within High Speed Rail GroupNumber of MembersSalary Range Min to MaxSCSPB31£104,000£208,200SCSPB23£93,000£162,500SCSPB115£66,276£117,800Grade 620£62,519£70,859Grade 733£51,238£57,506SEO13£41,587£45,747HEO20£33,990£36,880EO16£28,876£29,763AO2£24,855£24,855

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Land Registry: Cybercrime

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of threat of a cyber attack on the UK Land Registry; what steps the Land Registry has taken to protect people's land registrations from cyber attacks; and how much and what proportion of the Land Registry's data has been put on a secure blockchain since the Registry's announcement to do so in July 2017.

Richard Harrington: HM Land Registry has a strong security culture and works with colleagues from across government to protect the organisation from cyber threats. The land register is protected by a broad and effective range of security controls which are regularly verified and tested by experts inside and outside of the organisation. HM Land Registry implements all cyber standards published by the National Cyber Security Centre. Future digital developments are subjected to significant scrutiny including by specialists from the National Cyber Security Centre who are undertaking a review of all cyber security risks and how these are managed by HM Land Registry. HM Land Registry do not currently hold any of their data on a blockchain. In July 2017 HM Land Registry announced that they are working on ‘Digital Street’, a research and development project exploring the future of digital conveyancing, including the potential use of new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people have been employed by the automotive industry in each of the last eight years.

Richard Harrington: The numbers employed by the automotive manufacturing industry have increased strongly in the last eight years – by nearly 34% since 2010. This compares favourably with the manufacturing sector overall which increased employment by 4% over the same period and the economy as a whole at 11%. Number employed in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry  Employment (‘000s)20101342011129201213620131422014147201516020161702017179Source: Employee jobs and self-employed jobs (both ONS)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yemen: Ports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent coalition advances towards the port of Al Hudaydah in Yemen on (a) the possible outcome of the conflict and (b) humanitarian support reaching the people of Yemen.

Alistair Burt: We are in regular contact with the Coalition about the need to ensure that any military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including on the protection of civilians, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows through the port. The Coalition have assured us that they are incorporating humanitarian concerns into their operational plans. It is vital to maintain the flow of food, fuel and medical supplies into Yemen. For their part the Houthis must not compromise port facilities or hinder the humanitarian response.It remains imperative to resume work towards a comprehensive political settlement. Lasting peace and stability in Yemen will require dialogue and negotiation. UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths is due to update the Security Council soon on his proposals for a negotiated settlement. We call upon all parties to throw their weight behind his efforts, for the sake of the Yemeni people and the security of Yemen's neighbours.

Yemen: Ports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on attacks on the port of Al Hudaydah in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Following the start of military action by Coalition-backed forces to take Hodeidah port back from Houthi militia, we call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and prioritise the protection of civilians.We are in regular contact with the Coalition about the need to ensure that any military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including on the protection of civilians, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows through the port. The Coalition have assured us that they are incorporating humanitarian concerns into their operational plans. It is vital to maintain the flow of food, fuel and medical supplies into Yemen. For their part the Houthis must not compromise port facilities or hinder the humanitarian response.

Yemen: Piracy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle piracy in the Bab Al Mandeb Strait.

Alistair Burt: We assess recent attacks on shipping in the Bab al Mandeb to be linked with the conflict in Yemen rather than attempted piracy. The UK plays an active role in protecting shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb through: our support for the Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational naval partnership with a UK Deputy Commander; the presence in the region of a Royal Navy Mine Counter Measures Squadron; and the Royal Navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations office in Dubai, which is the primary point of contact for merchant vessels in case of a security incident in the region. We also continue to play a major role in international efforts to combat piracy in the wider West Indian Ocean, and provide the Operational HQ for the EU’s counter-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta.

Israel: Palestinians

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the role of  terrorist organisations in the recent Israeli-Palestinian boarder conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​​Hamas have stated that 50 of those killed during protests in Gaza were their operatives, and Hamas leaders have also called for violence against Israelis. While we support the fundamental right of Palestinians to peaceful protest, there have been multiple attempts to place Improvised Explosive Devices at the Gaza border, and it is clear that extremist elements have been exploiting these protests for their own ends. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also claimed responsibility for the recent rocket attacks from Gaza towards Israel. Israel has the right to protect itself against all militant groups.

Israel: Courts Martial

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2018 to Question 132493 on Israel: Courts Martial, if he will take steps to find out if (a) British or (b) British-Israeli citizens are serving as judges in accordance with the UK’s legal obligations under Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Alistair Burt: The British Government does not plan on taking steps to find out if British or British-Israeli citizens are serving as judges in Israel’s military courts.​

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 149909, if he will raise with the Government of Israel whether weapons or defence equipment exported from the UK have been used against unarmed protesters in Gaza in the recent violence.

Alistair Burt: We have no information to suggest that UK supplied equipment has been used against protesters in Gaza.We therefore have no plans to raise this issue with the Israeli authorities at this time We continue to assess export licence applications on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated Criteria.

Najah Ahmed Yousif

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on investigations being carried out by Bahrain’s human rights oversight bodies with respect to the female political prisoner, Najah Ahmed Yousif; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



​The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain in which we raise individual cases. Our Embassy in Bahrain has monitored this specific case and will attend the next hearing. The UK encourages those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge these bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Ali Salman

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Bahraini Government on the prosecution of Bahraini opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



​We have raised this case at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain continue to monitor Sheikh Ali Salman's case closely. Embassy officials have regularly attended trial hearings. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question HL7775, which Human Rights Reports refer to the Integrated Activity Fund.

Alistair Burt: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has provided numerous updates on its programme work in past Human Rights Reports as well as through Freedom of Information Act requests. This information can be found on the gov.uk website.

United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148703, what voluntary ODA funding the UK has allocated for the purposes of UN peacekeeping in each of the last five years.

Mark Field: The UK’s voluntary contributions to UN Peacekeeping from Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is as follows: 2013 £0.7m; 2014 £0.3m; 2015 £2.5m; 2016 £3.1m. Data for 2017 will not be available until Autumn 2018.

Department of Health and Social Care

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2018 to Question 146959, how many people have been detained under (a) the Criminal Procedure (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 1991, (b) section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948, (c) sections 1, 2 or 12 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, (d) the Children Act 1989 and (e) section 3 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973 in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested. Before 2016-17, the official statistics on detentions under the Mental Health Act were collected in aggregate form and cannot be broken down any further to identify specific legislation. Since 2016-17 the data collection has changed, to the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS), and information on the number of known detentions for people formally detained under Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964 as amended by the Criminal Procedures (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 1991 is available for 2016-17 and is shown in the following table. Information is not available on the number of people detained under the other individual pieces of legislation requested, although a total of detentions made under these Acts is also shown in the table. Number of detentions which were not under the Mental Health Act (1983) in 2016/17, EnglandFormally Detained UnderNumber of DetentionsCriminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964 as amended by the Criminal Procedures (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 19912Other Acts15Formal detentions not under the Mental Health Act (1983)17 Source: MHSDS, NHS Digital Notes: The table shows the number of detentions made under Acts other than the Mental Health Act. The total has been published in the ‘Mental Health Act Statistics, Annual Figures: 2016-17’ publication but is further broken down here to show the number of detentions made under the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964 as amended by the Criminal Procedures (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 1991. This is a count of detentions rather than a count of people and one person may be detained more than once in any given period.

Learning Disability: Death

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has been briefed on the contents of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Annual Report 2017, published on 4 May 2018.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Annual Report 2017, published on 4 May 2018.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Annual Report 2017, published on 4 May 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, is aware of the findings of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Annual Report 2017. The Government is committed to learning from every avoidable death and the Department has been working with its partners to see how the report’s recommendations may be implemented to support improvements to services and to the quality of care that people with a learning disability receive. In my Oral Statement on 8 May, Official Report Column 554, I committed to respond to each of the report’s recommendations and will report back to Parliament shortly.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were on the national elective waiting list on 31 March in each year from 2011 to 2018 inclusive.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England publishes monthly data on Consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times. This includes the volume of patients on the national elective waiting list. The following table shows the information requested as at the end of March in each year. MonthTotal waiting (million)March 20112,455,424March 20122,413,969March 20132,661,165March 20142,911,442March 20153,006,877March 20163,504,595March 20173,734,833March 20183,843,182Source: published NHS England statistics - Unify2 data collection – RTT Comparing 2010-11 to 2016-17, the number of operations performed increased by 1.8 million (latest Hospital Episode Statistics data available is 2016-17).

Ambulance Services: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the category 1 mean response time has been in each quarter since the classification of ambulance response times changed.

Stephen Barclay: Mainland National Health Service ambulance trusts individually adopted the new response time standards between August and December 2017. The Isle of Wight NHS Trust will adopt the standards in autumn 2018. The mean Category 1 response time for mainland ambulance trusts for Quarter 4 2017/18 was seven minutes and 42 seconds.

Clostridium

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many trust-apportioned Clostridium Difficile cases were reported in each year since 2010-11.

Steve Brine: Public Health England publishes the annual counts and rates of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections by acute trust and clinical commissioning group in patients aged two years and over at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/clostridium-difficile-infection-annual-data A copy of the table showing the financial year counts and rates of C. difficile infection for patients aged two years and over by acute trust (trust apportioned cases only) is attached



PQ152773 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 100.81 KB)

Health Professions: Vacancies

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many FTE vacancies there were for (a) registered nurses and (b) medical staff in each year since 2010-11.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many FTE vacancies for (a) registered nurses and (b) medical staff were filled by bank or agency staff in each year since 2010-11.

Stephen Barclay: The Department does not hold the information as requested. NHS Improvement published quarterly performance of the National Health Service provider sector since Quarter 1 2017/18. The latest NHS Improvement vacancy figures are available at the following link on page 24 of the report. https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/quarterly-performance-nhs-provider-sector-quarter-4-201718/ The information is outlined in the following table. Whole Time Equivalent (WTE)2017/18 Q12017/18 Q22017/18 Q32017/18 Q4Registered Nursing and MidwiferyTotal temporary workforce30,61933,11031,41537,689Vacancies38,32839,15435,93435,794MedicalTotal temporary workforce8,4418,8898,7809,640Vacancies10,84810,0969,6769,982The information above represents management information only and not an official statistic. Nursing: NHS trusts employ over 314,000 WTE registered nursing staff. In addition to this substantive workforce, at Q4 2017/18 there are over 35,000 WTE vacancies of which approximately 95% is currently being filled by a combination of bank (65%) and agency staff (35%). This vacancy position has remained relatively static since Q3. Medical: NHS trusts employ over 112,000 WTE medical staff. In addition to this substantive workforce, as at Q4 2017/18 there are over 9,500 WTE vacancies of which approximately 98% is currently being filled by a combination of bank (45%) and agency (locum) staff (55%). This vacancy position has marginally increased since Q3. However, the bank and agency staff in addition to covering the vacancy gap is also used to backfill for sickness, maternity, and secondments so that we cannot assume that the temporary workforce (bank and agency) is being used purely to fill the vacancy gap.

Pharmacy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pharmacies there have been in England in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: The information requested is in the following table. Number of community pharmacies in England for 2007/08 to 2016/17 Number of community pharmacies2007/0810,3122008/0910,5062009/1010,6912010/1110,9512011/1211,2362012/1311,4952013/1411,6472014/1511,6742015/1611,6882016/1711,699Source: NHS Digital

NHS Walk-in Centres: Closures

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many walk-in centres have closed in each year since 2010.

Stephen Barclay: The requested information is not centrally held.

Pregnancy: Drugs

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of substance abuse by women during pregnancy on a child's health.

Steve Brine: No specific assessment has been made. However, using illegal or street drugs during pregnancy, including cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin, can have a potentially serious effect on an unborn baby and the advice is to avoid these substances. Advice about alcohol and drugs is available to pregnant women as part of their routine antenatal care. Pregnant women who misuse alcohol or drugs will be put in contact with a midwife or doctor who has special expertise in the care of pregnant women with alcohol or drug problems. They will be able to refer them to an alcohol or drug treatment programme and other organisations that can help.

General Practitioners: Waiting Lists

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for a patient to receive a GP appointment in (a) England, (b) County Durham and (c) Easington constituency.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if will he introduce a maximum waiting time target for patients to receive a GP appointment.

Steve Brine: The average waiting time for a general practitioner (GP) appointment is not collected or held centrally. In the 2017 GP patient survey 70.8% of respondents (who could remember whether or not they were able to get an appointment, and when they wanted the appointment) stated they saw or spoke to someone at a time they wanted to or sooner. NHS England is working with NHS Digital to consider ways of improving the availability and quality of GP data, including waiting times data. The Department currently has no plans to introduce a maximum waiting time. However, efforts are being made to ensure everyone has easier and more convenient access to GP services, including appointments at evenings and weekends. The latest National Health Service planning guidance, published by NHS England in February 2018, confirmed that more than half the country is now benefitting from improved access, including access to pre-bookable and same day appointments on weekday evenings and at weekends, and these will be available across the whole country by October this year.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from charities on the potential effect of backdated sleep-in shift payments.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department regularly receives correspondence regarding the effect of backdated sleep-in liabilities, including from Learning Disability Voices and the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, which represent providers of social care including charitable providers. The Department has been regularly engaging with representatives from the sleep-ins care sector. My hon. Friend the then Minister for Care and Mental Health (Jackie Doyle-Price) and my hon. Friend the then Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility (Margot James MP) met with Learning Disability Voices on 20 July 2017. I intend to meet with Learning Disability voices soon to discuss their concerns. Officials often meet with representatives of charities to discuss the historic liabilities relating to non-payment of the National Minimum Wage for sleep-in shifts. The Government recognises the pressure that sleep-ins liabilities are placing on the social care sector and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector.

Food: Manufacturing Industries

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve public trust in the food system as a result of breaches of food safety rules at meat processing factories; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: In response to the incidents identified in meat processing factories the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) announced a full review of cutting plants and cold stores handling meat in February 2018. The terms of reference for this review were published in March 2018 outlining the scope, objectives, deliverables, approach and timescales for this review, and on 6 June 2018 the review published an interim update in the form of a FSA Board paper on findings to date. A copy of the Board paper is attached. The review will submit a final report to the FSA and FSS Boards which will make recommendations to improve levels of public confidence in the safety and authenticity of United Kingdom meat and identify potential improvements in the way in which the sector is regulated.



PQ152668 attached document
(PDF Document, 712.96 KB)

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150586 on foetal alcohol syndrome, what localised data his Department holds on that syndrome.

Steve Brine: Only information on individuals with severe cases of foetal alcohol syndrome – those identified at birth - is collected and reported by Public Health England. Therefore there is a significant underestimation of the overall prevalence. The figures currently available relate to births in 2012-2016, and cover five regions in England: the South West, East Midlands and South Yorkshire, Wessex, Thames Valley, and Northern England (including North East and Cumbria). Prevalence tables by region and year can be found at the following link: http://www.eurocat-network.eu/prevdata/resultsPdf.aspx?title=A5&allanom=false&allregf=true&allrega=true&anomalies=83&winx=1256&winy=677 A copy of the prevalence tables covering five regions in England is attached.



PQ152663 attached table
(PDF Document, 200.34 KB)

NHS: Apprentices

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS apprentices starts there were in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Stephen Barclay: Health Education England recorded the numbers of National Health Service apprentice starts for 2015/16 and 2016/17 as shown in the following table. YearTotal number of NHS Apprenticeship Starts2015/1619,8202016/1715,532Source: Health Education England Figures on the numbers of public sector apprenticeships are not yet available for 2017/18. Public bodies in scope of the public sector apprenticeships target are required to report on their progress annually. The first reports, covering the 2017/18 period, are due by 30 September 2018. Health Education England is leading the development of a number of new health-related apprenticeship standards which will open up pathways for several careers across the NHS. As of May 2018, 21 new standards are ready for delivery and a further 29 are in development.

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve (a) awareness of and (b) diagnosis of 22Q11 deletion syndrome.

Steve Brine: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is a disorder that involves many different areas of the body and the severity can vary among patients. 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is an integral part of the immunodeficiency section of the training curriculum for paediatric and adult immunologists. In addition, cardiac aspects of 22q deletion syndrome are specifically included in the curriculum for paediatric cardiology. There are 32 immunology centres accredited or working towards accreditation with the Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services programme including a number of paediatric immunology centres located across the United Kingdom, which provide services for patients affected by the disease. Such accreditation processes means that specialist expertise can be more readily available across the country and provide access to the services need in the diagnosis of this disease.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Non-departmental Public Bodies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) women and (b) men his Department has appointed to each of his Department's non-Departmental Public Bodies in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Commissioner for Public Appointments completed and publishes an annual data survey of all new appointments and reappointments made to boards of public bodies by Government including the overall gender diversity.Data on the gender diversity of new non-executive appointees to public boards for 2012 to 2015 is published on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Political Parties: Northern Ireland

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will publish a list of the meetings he has had with representatives of Northern Ireland's political parties in each of the last three months; and if he will include in that list (a) who he met with and (b) the date on which those meetings took place.

Mr Robin Walker: Details of formal Ministerial meetings on Departmental business are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK. Over the past months, the Government has met a range of stakeholders in Northern Ireland, including representatives of a number of political parties, and assured them that the Government will uphold our commitments made to the people of Northern Ireland and the Belfast Agreement.Since the referendum there have been nine meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations. Prior to the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2017, these meetings were attended by Ministers from the Northern Ireland Executive. We would have liked this engagement to continue, and we are working hard to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland as soon as possible. In the absence of an Executive, the JMC(EN) has been attended by senior officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service. We are committed to working to ensure Northern Ireland interests are represented in the meantime.

Department for Education

Free Schools: Closures

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools have closed in each year for which data is available.

Nadhim Zahawi: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 22 May 2018.The correct answer should have been:

There are currently 393 free schools open. Since 2010, eight free schools have closed. and one closure is planned for summer 2018. The primary objective of the department when making a decision to close a school is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer. Academic yearFree school closures2013/14Discovery New School2014/15The Durham Free School, Dawes Lane Academy, Stockport Technical School2015/16St Michael’s Secondary School2016/17Bolton Wanderers Free School, Collective Spirit Free School Southwark Free School2017/18Southwark Free SchoolTotal8

Nadhim Zahawi: There are currently 393 free schools open. Since 2010, eight free schools have closed. and one closure is planned for summer 2018. The primary objective of the department when making a decision to close a school is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer. Academic yearFree school closures2013/14Discovery New School2014/15The Durham Free School, Dawes Lane Academy, Stockport Technical School2015/16St Michael’s Secondary School2016/17Bolton Wanderers Free School, Collective Spirit Free School Southwark Free School2017/18Southwark Free SchoolTotal8

Young People: Unemployment

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training in the East Midlands.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 11 June 2018



Almost 90% young people in England, and the East Midlands, are now in education, employment or training, but there is more to do. The proportion of young people not in education, employment or training in the East Midlands has fallen from 12.4% in Q4 of 2010 to 11.1% in Q4 in 2017. In the East Midlands, the government is providing support to improve skills through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). For example, over £30 million of Local Growth Funding has been provided through the Derby and Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire LEP, to create a new Nottingham College campus and to extend the Vision West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield. These projects should create places for 2,000 additional learners. Through the work of The Careers & Enterprise Company’s Enterprise Adviser Network, we are linking young people in schools and colleges with employers so that they are more aware of the possibilities available to them. All schools in England will be offered an Enterprise Adviser (a senior business volunteer) by 2020. Across the East Midlands we are also funding various careers and enterprise activities. In the Derby ‘Opportunity Area’, The Careers & Enterprise Company will make sure that those between 11 and 18 years old benefit from four encounters with the world of work. Some of the organisations that are being funded in Derby include the Engineering Development Trust, Future First and Young Enterprise.

Education: Suffolk

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated by his Department for education in Suffolk in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The table below shows the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations for schools, early years and high needs in Suffolk.Financial yearDSG (£ million)2018 to 2019508.662017 to 2018489.152016 to 2017476.142015 to 2016471.742014 to 2015453.852013 to 2014451.312012 to 2013445.622011 to 2012442.622010 to 2011379.52 The precise coverage of the DSG has changed during the period, which means that the figures for some years are not entirely comparable.

Academies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is in the event that a new school in a new multi academy trust is judged inadequate; and whether it is his policy that such a finding should trigger an inspection of other new schools in the Trust which have not been inspected.

Nadhim Zahawi: It is right that we respond robustly where an academy receives an ‘Inadequate’ judgement – irrespective of whether they are a new or more established school or trust. If we believe a change of leadership is necessary, we will move to terminate the funding agreement to bring about a change of trust.Ofsted finding one school in a multi academy trust (MAT) to be ‘Inadequate’ would not automatically lead to an inspection of others schools in a MAT but it is a factor that Ofsted can consider in determining whether these schools warrant an earlier inspection. It would also increase the Regional Schools Commissioner’s risk rating of this MAT and lead to a higher level of scrutiny of governace at the board level of trust.

Academies: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 138047 on Academies: Finance, what collated central information is held by (a) his Department and (b) it's agencies on related party transactions undertaken by multi academy trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: Related party transactions involving academy trusts encompass both receipts by and payments by trusts and so there are separate totals for each. This information, including both payments made by and receipts received by academy trusts, was included for the first time in the Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts for the academic year 2015 to 2016. The information is not collected by single-academy and multi-academy trusts and so reflects all academy trusts. Payments made by academy trusts to related parties: Number of Related Party Transactions2015/16 payments to related parties (£000)£1 to £50,0002,63624,627£50,001 to £100,00018312,585£100,001 to £200,00011916,006£200,001 to £250,000255,662£250,001+7061,922TOTAL3,033120,802 Income received by academy trusts from related parties: Number of Related Party Transactions2015/16 receipts from related parties (£000)£1 to £50,0008579,574£50,001 to £100,0001359,541£100,001 to £200,0008811,471£200,001 to £250,000163,565£250,001+5939,066TOTAL1,15573,217 As the tables above show, £120,802,000 (62%) of the total value of all related party transactions is accounted for by academy trusts making payments to related parties, whilst £73,217,000 (38%) represents income received by academy trusts from related parties. Income received from related parties includes; transactions with subsidiary companies or shared services, diocesan education authorities, related charities as well as donations or services provided by trustees, or trustees’ family members. This information was not previously collected in this format and we do not have comparable analysis for previous years. Academy trusts, including multi-academy trusts, are required to disclose all related party transactions in their audited annual accounts, which are publicly available for all years the academy trust has been in operation. The department has recently introduced additional requirements through the 2018 edition of the Academies Financial Handbook, in relation to related party transactions, which will take effect from 1 April 2019. These will require trusts to notify the department of any such transaction in advance of them occurring and to seek approval for any where the value, individually or in aggregate, exceeds £20,000.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the curriculum for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education to include lessons on visible facial differences.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to supporting an inclusive society where everyone is treated with respect and fairness. Schools are already expected to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Schools are free to teach about visible facial differences in Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), where pupils can reflect on and challenge notions of prejudice and discrimination. Following provisions in the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the Government is making Relationships Education at primary and Relationships and Sex Education at secondary mandatory through regulations. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has the power to make PSHE, or elements therein, mandatory in all schools. This is subject to careful consideration. To support decisions on the content of these subjects, the Department recently conducted an engagement exercise with a wide range of expert stakeholders, as well as a public call for evidence, which received over 23,000 responses. Using the evidence gathered during this process, the Government is developing the regulations and accompanying statutory guidance for these subjects. Both will be subject to public consultation followed by a debate on the regulations in Parliament.

Pupils: Bullying

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing a programme of appearance-related bullying workshops in schools to counter the bullying and stigma faced by children with visible facial difference.

Nick Gibb: Bullying for any reason is unacceptable and all schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their school and are held to account by Ofsted. The Department has published guidance to help schools develop their own anti-bullying strategies which can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying. There is also a grant programme that offers £1.75 million over two years for four anti-bullying organisations to support schools tackle bullying. Funding includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those with special educational needs and disability and those who are victims of hate related to bullying, along with a project to report bullying online.It is for school leaders to identify the motivations for bullying in their schools and to prioritise those issues when developing a strategy that will work best for their pupils. It is for schools to decide whether to hold an appearance-related bullying workshop as part of that strategy.

Schools: Walls and Fences

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what statutory requirement schools must follow to ensure that school playing fields have perimeter fences for the purposes of pupil safeguarding.

Nick Gibb: All schools are responsible for the health, safety and welfare of their pupils and staff. The associated statutory responsibilities on school employers are set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and regulations made under the act. To help schools effectively manage their estate, in respect of perimeter fencing, the Department for Education has recently published a ‘Good estate management for schools’ manual. This provides advice for those who have responsibility for overseeing or managing school’s estates, and it can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/maintaining-the-estate.

Department for Education: Advisory Bodies

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the status is of the advisory groups with young people that were established in his Department in 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: In May 2012, the department made a commitment to engage with disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs. This led to the creation of Equality, Participation, Influencing, Change (EPIC). EPIC’s remit was to involve children and young people (CYP) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in shaping government policy in this area – in particular, the implementation of the reforms set out in the green paper: “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability”. When the department’s focus moved from policy development to implementation of the SEND reforms, it gave way to the creation of another young people’s group to advise and support the government. In 2016, a new CYP advisory group was set up - FLARE (Friendship, Learning, Achieve, Reach, Empower). The department has recently committed to funding this work until March 2020, through a contract worth £1.9 million per year with Contact, the Council for Disabled Children and KIDS.

Pupils: Health

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all schools are following statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take against schools which contravene statutory guidance and exclude pupils with medical conditions from participating in extra-curricular activities.

Nadhim Zahawi: In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with medical conditions and published statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.The guidance is clear that schools, local authorities, health professionals, commissioners and other support services should work together to ensure that children with medical conditions receive a full education. Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of different groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in its March 2017 school inspection update, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-inspection-framework-education-skills-and-early-years-from-september-2015.This guidance reminds inspectors that as part of looking at how a school is supporting the welfare and teaching and learning of pupils with medical conditions the school’s policy on supporting students with medical conditions and its implementation. Excluding children with medical conditions from participating in extra-curricular activities is unacceptable practice and we expect all children to be included in school life, whatever their needs. It is up to the governing bodies to ensure that arrangements are in place in schools to support pupils with medical conditions. Where parents have concerns over the support their child is receiving we encourage them to raise the matter with the school. If they feel that the school is not meeting its obligations, they have recourse to make a complaint through the school’s complaint process.

Newcastle Discovery School

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children from South Shields constituency were on the roll at Newcastle Discovery School.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department publishes information on schools and pupils in the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017. The data by students’ home constituency is not held centrally. Data from the January 2018 school census will be published in June 2018.

Headteachers

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many virtual school heads are currently in post; and for (a) what geographic area and (b) how many children each head is responsible.

Nadhim Zahawi: The appointment of a virtual school head is a statutory requirement, under Section 22 of the Children Act 1989, for each of the 152 local authorities in England responsible for children’s social care. Some authorities join up their virtual schools to have the same head. Many virtual school heads will be supported by a virtual school team. The number of children looked after by individual local authorities is available in Table LAA1 of the Children looked after in England including adoption 2016-17 statistical first release. This is available to view at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.

Care Leavers: Advisory Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers up to the age of 25 have a personal adviser.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.Prior to changes introduced through the Children and Social Work Act, local authorities were required to allocate a personal adviser to support all care leavers to age 21, which extended to age 25 if the care leaver was in education or training. Since 1 April 2018, local authorities have been required to offer personal adviser support to all care leavers to age 25.

ICT: Education

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 117656 on ICT: Education, what the timetable is for the National Centre for Computing Education to be in operation.

Nick Gibb: The Department expects the first National Centre to be appointed by autumn 2018, with the first training taking place in the 2018-2019 academic year. In May 2018, the Department released the tender inviting bids for the programme. The closing date for the submission of bids is 15 June 2018. Ensuring that our children have the digital and computing skills needed for the future is a key priority of this Government. The National Centre of Computing Education is part of a new £84 million programme to improve the teaching of computing and to increase participation in computer science. The National Centre will support a national network of computing hubs to raise academic standards by providing comprehensive training and resources to schools.

Children: Social Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department uses to monitor compliance with section 5 of the Childcare Act 2006 by local authorities.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not monitor local authority compliance with Section 5 of the Childcare Act 2006. The department has published statutory guidance that clarifies what local authorities must do to meet the legal requirements set out in Section 5 of the Childcare Act 2006 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sure-start-childrens-centres.

Politics: Education

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote and (b) support political education in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Political education is an essential part of a broad and balanced education that prepares young people for adult life. Citizenship education is in the statutory national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4. The programmes of study are designed to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society, and are organised around core knowledge about democracy, Government, and how laws are made and upheld. Citizenship education also equips pupils with the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. Schools can also teach politics as part of their wider school curriculum if they choose to do so.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) freedom of speech and (b) open debate in universities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Free speech within the law is an essential precondition of thriving universities. Free speech underpins diversity of thought, allows students to develop the ability to think critically, and exposes them to new ideas. I held a free speech summit on 3 May 2018. At the summit, university leaders and regulators agreed to develop a single piece of guidance to help the higher education sector promote free speech and open debate. The guidance is expected to be published in the autumn.

T-levels

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of learners taking T levels in the first year of the level's introduction.

Anne Milton: Our plan is for a measured implementation of T levels, the most radical reform of post-16 education since the introduction of A Levels almost 70 years ago, which will transform the technical education landscape. On 27 May we announced the 52 colleges and other providers that have been selected to deliver the first three T Levels in 2020 and have since selected a further two providers.Teaching is to begin in 2020 in the first three subjects in 54 providers. As providers are considering the outline content of the first T Levels and developing their own implementation plans, the number of potential learners for the first years of T Levels is still under consideration but is expected to grow over time.

Schools: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of funding for schools in South Yorkshire.

Nick Gibb: Funding for schools is at a record high. Per pupil funding is 50% more in real-term than in 2000.The introduction of the national funding formulae is supported by significant extra investment of £1.3 billion across 2018-19 and 2019-20, over and above the budget announced at the 2015 spending review. Core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion this year and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This will allow us to maintain school and high needs funding in real terms per pupil for the next two years, and figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies show that real terms per pupil funding in 2020 will be at least 50% higher than in 2000.The following table shows the impact of the fully implemented national funding formula for the four metropolitan boroughs in South Yorkshire. These figures are calculated as if the national funding formula had been implemented in full in 2017-18, with no transitional arrangements.  Average per pupil funding in 2017-18Average per pupil funding under the full national funding formula% gainBarnsley£4,438£4,8399.0%Doncaster£4,515£4,6793.6%Rotherham£4,676£4,8102.9%Sheffield£4,406£4,6966.6%National average£4,499£4,6573.5%The Government recognises that many schools have worked hard to manage the impact of cost pressures on their budgets up to this point. The department provides support, guidance and tools to help schools get the best value from their resources, further details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.

Children: Day Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support provided to single parents to cover the cost of childcare in the school holidays.

Nadhim Zahawi: By 2019-20, the government will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support – a record amount - to help with the costs of childcare, including childcare in the school holidays. A single parent is able to access the 30 hours free childcare entitlement if they are earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week. This entitlement is available across 38 weeks of the year. However, the entitlement can be “stretched” by taking fewer hours per week over more than 38 weeks of the year to cover term-time and the school holidays, for example 23 hours for 48 weeks of the year. Furthermore, parents are able to use Tax-Free Childcare to support them with paying for childcare support during the school holidays. We have already increased the level of support for childcare within Universal Credit (UC) from 70% to 85% of eligible childcare costs; its highest ever level. This is more generous than the support available to people on legacy benefits. This gives parents, including single parents, up to a maximum of £646.35 per month for one child and £1108.04 per month for two or more children. UC childcare costs are assessed monthly, meaning that where claimants experience a change in their childcare costs, for example an increase during the school holidays, UC childcare costs can increase (up to the maximum award) to meet the household’s needs.

School Leaving: Basic Skills

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have left school without functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 who achieved the English and mathematics pillars of the English Baccalaureate. Using this we have derived the number and proportion of pupil who did not achieve the Ebacc English pillar and the EBacc mathematics pillar at various threshold levels including at grades 9-5, 9-4 (A*-C) and 9-1(A*-G). This is the closest information published that provides English and mathematics separately for 16 year olds. The attached tables show the number and percentage of pupils who did not achieve Ebacc pillars for English and mathematics for each of the last 5 years.



152640_Number_not_achieving_Ebacc
(PDF Document, 458.29 KB)

Basic Skills

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of adults who have below average functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Personal Care Services: Apprentices

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for the professional apprenticeship standard for beauty therapy to be published.

Anne Milton: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships. I have asked its Chief Executive, Sir Gerry Berragan, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Academies: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June to Question 140739, which multi academy trusts (MATs) have been funded through the £22,445,410 to increase MAT capacity; how much each MAT has received; and how many new schools each of those MATS has sponsored since they were awarded that funding.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arts and Business: GCSE

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students studying at least one arts subject at GCSE also studied business at GCSE Level in each year since 2012.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arts and Business: GCE A-level

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students studying at least one arts subject at A Level also studied business at A Level in each year since 2012.

Nick Gibb: The proportion of A level[1] students who studied[2] at least one arts subject[3] and business studies at A level between 2011/12 and 2016/17[4] are:Academic year[5]Percentage of students entering at least one arts subject who entered Business Studies A level2011/127.02012/137.12013/146.92014/15[6]6.32015/166.52016/176.9  [1] Includes entries into A level qualifications which are eligible for inclusion in performance tables. Where qualifications taken by a student are in the same subject area and similar in content, ‘discounting’ rules have been applied to avoid double counting qualifications.[2] Students at the end of their 16-18 study[3] ‘Any arts entry’ is not a published grouping in 16-18 data, therefore these figures are based on the same subject grouping used in GCSE and includes: Applied Art and Design, Art and Design, Drama, Media/Film/TV, Music, Dance and Performing Arts.[4] Figures are based on final data.[5] From 2010/11 – 2014/15 these figures are based on students entered for A levels, from 2015/16 these figures are based on students entered for AS and A levels, resulting in a much bigger cohort. This artificially reduces the percentage in comparison to previous years and therefore comparisons between the percentages of 2015/16 and 2016/17 and earlier years can not be done.[6] Figures from 2012/13 to 2014/15 cover students at the end of advanced level study who were entered for at least one A level, applied single award A level, applied double award A level or combined A/AS level in the reporting year. Figures for earlier years cover students who were entered for at least one A level, applied single award A level, applied double award A level or combined A/AS level in the summer of the reporting year.

Academies: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150687 on Academies: Finance, whether any contentious connected party transactions have ever been referred to the Education and Skills Funding Agency relating to (a) Collective Spirit Multi Academy Trust, (b) Wakefield City Academies Trust and (c) Bright Tribe multi-academy trust.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Education and Skills Funding Agency can confirm that it has received referrals about the named academy trusts. Each referral is taken seriously and is reviewed, and appropriate action is taken where required.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 149070 on Department for Education: Public Expenditure, what efficiencies, savings and emerging underspends his officials have identified from which additional investment in core schools funding will be funded.

Nick Gibb: In 2018-19, the Department is anticipating being able to deliver the majority of the required savings from Departmental underspends and unallocated funding without the need to make changes to existing policies or programmes.This will be kept under review for 2019-20, but the Department is confident that this level of efficiency can be delivered while continuing to deliver the Department’s priorities.

Ministry of Justice

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what metrics performance at Oakhill Secure Training Centre is measured.

Lucy Frazer: The performance of the secure training centre is measured against the requirements of the contract. These include: accommodating trainees in a safe environment within secure conditions; maintaining high standards of care, control, good order and discipline; providing trainees with decent living conditions and meeting their other needs; providing a positive regime; and helping trainees prepare for their return to the communityThe provider is required to make 80 places available for use each day and performance against this requirement is measured. A range of requirements must be met in order for a place to be accepted as available for use: some relate to the physical environment and others to the availability of services. The provider is also required to take steps to prevent certain pre-defined adverse events from occurring. The provider’s performance in these areas is measured and tracked and performance points may be awarded, which can result in a financial penalty.The provider also submits management information relating to a range of safety and regime-delivery indicators. These data do not necessarily indicate adverse performance, but can point to issues which we would investigate further.

Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has a target for full-time equivalent prison officers to be in post in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.

Lucy Frazer: I refer the honourable member to the answer to PQs 137608-10, given on 27 April 2018. Prison officer staffing levels are not set centrally, but are determined by each prison governor. Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. Nearly ninety per cent of our additional 3,111 prison officers are due to be on landings by the summer, with an additional 1,543 candidates booked on to prison officer training courses. We will not stop there though. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons legal journalists were denied access to the HM courts and tribunals reform roadshow for legal professionals held in London on 24 May 2018.

Lucy Frazer: HMCTS has in the last six months hosted a series of events focused on engaging the legal profession on the wider courts and tribunals reform programme.The event on 24 May 2018 was held at the London headquarters of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In line with previous events, HMCTS used a range of communication channels to issue an invitation to legal professionals to register their interest in attending by reserving a place using an online event organiser booking system.The event was organised for legal professionals only and not intended for others, including from the media or the public. Four people who registered to attend were refused a place as a result. In addition, 29 legal professionals who wanted to attend were refused a place because they registered after the number of confirmed places reached the venue’s maximum capacity of 90 people.The event was, however, broadcast online by live stream and all those who did not receive a place, including the media, were informed that they could follow the event in full this way and submit any questions online. The event can be viewed on GOV.UK, the page includes a presentation by HMCTS Chief Executive Officer Susan Acland-Hood and the Q&A session.

Secure Training Centres

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department uses to assess the suitability of a purchaser of a secure training centre.

Lucy Frazer: Suppliers must pass the Selection Questionnaire which assures the MoJ that they meet certain legal requirements and financial thresholds. Suppliers who pass that stage are then assessed on the criteria set out in the tender documents, which will be relevant and proportionate to the procurement and may include such elements as service elements; operational resources; estates management; ICT and Information Assurance; Mobilisation procedures; and legal, commercial and financial issues. MoJ awards contracts to suppliers who pass the evaluation stage and who provide the most value for money (VFM). Below is the criteria and the weightings used for evaluation of the STC provider bids in the last procurement we ran in for these, which concluded in 2016: RefLevel 1 Section Weighting (%)1CUSTODIAL SERVICES – SERVICE ELEMENTS20%2CUSTODIAL SERVICES – OPERATIONAL RESOURCES10%3CUSTODIAL SERVICES – WHOLE CENTRE APPROACH20%4PROPERTY AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT5%5Information & communications technology (ICT) and information assurance (IA)10%6mobilisation, transition and transformation20%7Legal/Commercial/Financial15% Total100%

Prisons: Standards

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons are currently in special measures; and what are the reasons for each of those prisons being placed in special measures.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to ensure that hon. Members are notified when a prison in their constituency is placed in special measures.

Lucy Frazer: For Question 150748, please see our response to 148963. Special Measures is an internal operational process undertaken by HM Prisons and Probation Service to provide additional support to prisons to improve performance. This process allows prisons to access wider support from available national resources. Data on the performance of prisons is published on gov.uk and the next set of annual performance outcomes will be published in Summer 2018. Honourable Members are already informed if a prison receives an Urgent Notification from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons as part of external scrutiny processes.

Prisons

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations contained in An Alternative Vision for Prison, published by the Public and Commercial Services union in February 2018.

Lucy Frazer: I welcome this report and share PCS’s commitment to improving rehabilitation and reducing recidivism in prisons. We look forward to ongoing work with HMPPS’s National Trade Union Side on this critical issue. Since An Alternative Vision for Prisons was published we have launched the Education and Employment Strategy on 24th of May 2018, which sets out the government’s approach to supporting ex-offenders to secure meaningful employment so that they are less likely to reoffend. The new education model will go live in April 2019.In addition, the Cabinet Office is introducing a new Reducing Reoffending group that will work across government to tackle some of the main causes of reoffending including employment, health and accommodation.Reoffending by those released from custody costs society around £15 billion per year – and the overwhelming majority of prisoners will be released from custody at some stage in their lives. Through effective rehabilitation we can reduce the number of victims of crime in the future.  We know that effective rehabilitation needs prisoners to be willing to commit to change, take advice, learn new skills and take opportunities to work – both during their sentence and after.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 136774, how much money has been spent from the public purse on early legal advice in civil cases in each year since 2008.

Lucy Frazer: Expenditure on ‘Legal Help’ and ‘Controlled Legal Representation’, which pays for legal advice covering the initial stages of a civil case, is shown below for each financial year from 2009 onwards (based upon the year the applicable claims were remunerated). A more detailed breakdown of this information can be found in the National Statistics on Legal aid in England and Wales, published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Financial YearExpenditure (£)2009-10 255,822,000 2010-11 255,597,000 2011-12 217,643,000 2012-13 188,646,000 2013-14 134,296,000 2014-15 106,945,000 2015-16 97,814,000 2016-17 98,279,000

Voyeurism

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has received from civil society groups on making the practice of up-skirting a sexual offence.

Lucy Frazer: My department have received representations from a range of stakeholders to make upskirting a specific criminal offence and have met with campaigners to discuss their concerns. I share their determination to ensure that the intrusive practice of up-skirting is tackled robustly and that is why I am pleased to confirm that, following detailed review of the law by my department, the Government has committed to supporting Wera Hobhouse’s PMB. This creates two new offences specifically covering the practice of upskirting and will strengthen the law, close any potential gaps and better protect victims. Alongside this, I continue to support work across government - with police, prosecutors and others - to make sure this degrading offence continues to be prosecuted as effectively as possible.

Knives: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May to Question 141740, on Knives: crime, how many of the custodial sentences referred to were (a) immediate custodial sentences and (b) suspended sentences.

Lucy Frazer: Pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2018 to Question 141740, the number of a) immediate custodial sentences and b) suspended sentences handed down by the courts in England and Wales in 2017, broken down by the selected offences of possession of an article with a blade or point, or threatening with an article with a blade or point, can be viewed in the table.



Table 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.27 KB)

Terrorism: Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2018 to Question 141739, on Terrorism: Prisoners' Release, what the nationality was of each of the three prisoners referred to.

Lucy Frazer: The response given to question 141739 is inaccurate, for which I apologise. There were two prisoners convicted of terrorist-related offences who were released on temporary licence (ROTL) during 2015 to 2017. One was released in 2015, the other was released in both 2016 and in 2017. Records indicate both prisoners are British. Public protection is our priority. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment, involving all relevant agencies, before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL). The ROTL compliance rate stands at over 99%. We want prisoners to know that there is a route to a better life and this is through purposeful activity, through education, through skills and through employment. ROTL helps with all of this and the latest evidence underlines the link between temporary release and reduced reoffending.

Werrington Young Offender Institution

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children in HMYOI Werrington have accumulated in total (a) 1-24, (b) 25-49, (c) 50-74, (d) 75-99, (e) 100-149 and (f) 150 or more additional days of imprisonment imposed as punishment since their arrival.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children in HMYOI Wetherby have accumulated in total (a) 1-24, (b) 25-49, (c) 50-74, (d) 75-99, (e) 100-149 and (f) more than 150 additional days of imprisonment imposed as punishment since their arrival.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) children and (b) young adults in HMYOI Feltham have accumulated in total (a) 1-24, (b) 25-49, (c) 50-74, (d) 75-99, (e) 100-149 and (f) more than 150 additional days of imprisonment imposed as punishment since their arrival.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young adults in HMYOI Aylesbury have accumulated in total (a) 1-24, (b) 25-49, (c) 50-74, (d) 75-99, (e) 100-149 and (f) more than 150 additional days of imprisonment imposed as punishment since their arrival.

Lucy Frazer: Discipline procedures are central to the maintenance of a safe, decent and rehabilitative custodial environment. They require adjudications to be conducted lawfully, fairly and justly. Only Independent Adjudicators, who are District Judges or Deputy District Judges can, in cases deemed to be sufficiently serious, make an award of additional days. All prisoners have a full opportunity to hear what is alleged against them and to present their case. Young or vulnerable prisoners, who may lack experience of adjudications, are encouraged to request help from an advocate. The most serious offences are referred to the police.Information on the number of individual prisoners who were subject to punishments for disciplinary misconduct is not routinely extracted from the adjudications database as the primary purpose is to report on the volume of punishments imposed. However, a new methodology was designed to capture unique offenders only, in order to extract the information on the number of prisoners that have accumulated additional days following proven adjudications. The tables attached provide statistics between 2013 and 2017 for each specific prison.



Tables 1-4
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.45 KB)

Gov Facility Services: Billing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) number and (b) total volume was of unpaid invoices submitted to Gov Facility Services Limited in each month since it was established.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offenders: Females

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the Department to publish its female offenders strategy.

Lucy Frazer: The Government remains committed to addressing the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation.Considering how we can best address the needs of female offenders, to improve outcomes for them, their families and their communities, is a complex issue that we want to get right.We are working hard to develop a Female Offender Strategy which will improve outcomes for women in the community and custody and we will publish as soon as we are able.

Tribunals: Costs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average cost to the public purse of administering a (a) social security and child support tribunal and (b) a PIP appeal tribunal.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally. The cost of personal independence payment hearings is included in the overall cost of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Appeal).

Prime Minister

Health Services: Weather

Kate Osamor: To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of the winter crisis on the NHS.

Mrs Theresa May: I discuss a range of issues with Ministerial colleagues. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose information relating to internal discussions

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Kevin Foster: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her oral response of 6 June 2018, Official Report, column 307, to the hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford, whether terrorist murders in Northern Ireland are being investigated.

Mrs Theresa May: A number of terrorist murders from the Troubles are actively under investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other police forces. But I am clear that under current mechanisms for investigating the past there is a disproportionate focus on former members of the armed forces and the Police. The Government is committed to ensuring that all outstanding deaths in Northern Ireland should be investigated in ways that are fair, balanced and proportionate.

Ministry of Defence

MOD St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what alternative options to the re-signing of the lease for MoD St. Athan have been considered by his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel are embedded with partner forces; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Information on UK Service personnel embedded in other nations armed forces is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629769/MoD_AR16-17_gov_Web-Optimised.pdf Updated information will be published in the next Annual Report and Accounts in July 2018.

Children: Day Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department offers to help cover additional childcare costs incurred due to a parent being in the armed forces.

Guto Bebb: Within the United Kingdom childcare is a devolved responsibility, and the statutory entitlement to free childcare for UK residents (including Service personnel and their dependants) may vary depending on where they are stationed within the UK. All Service personnel and their dependants are currently able to access the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Childcare Voucher Scheme which enables its recipients to make a dual couple saving of up to £1,866 per year. When this scheme closes to new members in October 2018, those Service personnel wishing to benefit from Income Tax and NI savings (who were not claiming before October 2018) will be eligible to join the new Government Tax Free Childcare Scheme. In addition to the universal entitlement to 15 hours of free early education and childcare for children from the term after their third birthday, some English local authorities offer free hours of Ofsted registered childcare targeted to Service personnel with children aged two. A significant number of nurseries are accommodated on the Defence estate at military bases aimed principally at ensuring nursery provision for Service personnel based at the location concerned. Such nurseries are not operated by Defence but are provided so that personnel have provision close to their place of work and close to their homes when accommodated in Service Families Accommodation. The provision may offer an array of benefits to Service personnel ranging from priority placement to preferential rates.   In those overseas locations where Service personnel, entitled civilians and their dependants have no statutory entitlement to access host nation provision, the MOD has committed to mirror as far as is reasonably practicable the statutory provision that would have been available in England. Where MOD-provided overseas childcare facilities have sufficient capacity, the 15 hours (universal) and 30 hours entitlement (for eligible working parents) for three and four-year old children will be provided free of charge. In overseas locations where there are no MOD-provided childcare facilities, or such facilities lack sufficient capacity, the additional entitlement will be provided through the MOD Overseas Nursery Allowance.

United Nations: Secondment

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) civil servants of his Department and (b) armed forces personnel have been seconded to the UN in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: It is not possible to specify how many civil servants from the Department have taken up secondments at the UN as this information is not held centrally.The number of Armed Forces personnel seconded are as follows: three in 2018; five in 2017; five in 2016; three in 2015 and three in 2014.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the number of disallowed personal independence payments claims that are successfully appealed at tribunal.

Sarah Newton: Decisions are overturned at appeal in the main because of the oral evidence provided by the claimant at the hearing; and because of new written evidence not previously seen by the department’s decision makers. Tribunals do of course also reach a different conclusion based on the same evidence. But it should be noted that since PIP was introduced, up until December 2017, of the 3.1m decisions made 4% have been overturned at appeal.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures are in place to monitor whether staff routinely advise claimants (a) who have been sanctioned and (b) may be about to be sanctioned on (i) their right to appeal and (ii) the hardship support that is available throughout the duration of the sanction.

Alok Sharma: Team leaders are responsible for monitoring and assuring the quality of work coaches’ services to individual claimants. This includes assessment of information provided to claimants about how to challenge a sanction decision and about hardship awards, both at the point at which a sanction referral to a Decision Maker is being made and at contacts after the imposition of a sanction. Team leaders do this through a combination of observation (of interviews), feedback, coaching and appraisal. Notifications issued to the claimant when a sanction referral is being considered and when the decision has actually been made also give information about appeal rights and about hardship.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether, in the event that Jobcentre Plus is unable to offer online facilities that are required to look for work, claimants can still be sanctioned for failing to reach job search targets.

Alok Sharma: Activities agreed within a Claimant Commitment will be tailored to the individual circumstances of the claimant. Where this includes looking and applying for jobs online, and the claimant does not have their own internet access, the Work Coach will agree a reasonable level of activity, taking into account the availability of alternative means of access, e.g. free public services. When reviewing job search activity undertaken, the Work Coach will take into account circumstances within the period being assessed, e.g. the availability of online access to jobs and any alternative activity the claimant may have undertaken. Where a case is referred for consideration of a sanction, the Decision Maker will take into account the reasonableness of what was required and information provided by the claimant, e.g. activity they have undertaken and any other relevant factors, which might include lack of assumed online access to jobs.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department made of claimants' ability to afford food when setting the debt repayment thresholds at their current level.

Kit Malthouse: The Department for Work and Pensions always considers individual circumstances when applying debt repayment thresholds and seeks to recover debt without creating undue hardship.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all documents required to make and manage a universal credit claim are available in Easy Read formats.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit Full Service is designed to be accessed online (98% of claims are made online) and has been built to be accessible. The Department has engaged with MIND to ensure we are following the correct protocols for accessibility. Where our customers need assistance to access our services and information, we make reasonable adjustments to meet their individual needs. DWP customers who have a specific communication barrier are also able to use a variety of different formats such as Braille, audio, large print, through third party interpreters such as for British Sign Language or non-spoken language, or by arranging for a member of staff to visit the customer in their home.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been made against healthcare practitioners by people claiming (a) universal credit and (b) employment and support allowance as a result of an consultation in each the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not available prior to September 2015. Please find table below for data currently held:-Complaints following AssessmentSept 15 - Dec 15Jan 16 - Dec 16Jan 17 - Dec 17Jan 18 - May 18UC Total (a)--1525ESA Total (b)125675770255 Data Source: ASIS Complaints Management System MI – Report name DWP0011Rounding: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Anything under 5 is noted as a – Total face to face assessmentsSept 15 - Dec 15Jan 16 - Dec 16Jan 17 - Dec 17Jan 18 - May 18UC Total (a)-6,50039,00019,000ESA Total (b)201,000684,500719,000290,500 Data Source: ESA Performance Delivery Board ReportsRounding: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 500. Anything under 500 is noted as a –Note: ESA face to face assessment volumes also contain Incapacity Benefit Reassessment (IBR) clearances. There were no IBR complaints within the years in question.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been made against healthcare practitioners by people in the Easington constituency claiming (a) Universal Credit and (b) Employment and Support Allowance as a result of a consultation in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not available.

Universal Credit

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150254, what estimate she has made of number of face-to-face interviews which have taken place as a result of a claimant forgetting all of their their universal credit online login details.

Alok Sharma: Password interviews and password reset only interviews are recorded under one interview type, and resets can also be conducted during any interview. Therefore quantifying and differentiating password reset interviews only is not possible.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the allocation of funding is for GP reports on medical records for PIP cases in each year since its inception.

Sarah Newton: The spending on GP reports of further evidence on medical conditions for PIP cases in each year since the inception of PIP is as follows:  -13/1414/1515/1616/1717/18TotalTotal PIP Clearance Volumes94,091651,404706,060995,841888,0963,335,492GP Further Evidence Volumes7,90573,305100,48361,38371,394314,470GP further Evidence Cost (£)264,8182,455,7183,366,1812,056,3312,391,69910,534,745

Universal Credit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will introduce a facility on the universal credit journal for claimants to upload fit notes.

Alok Sharma: We are currently considering the benefits of introducing the facility to upload fit notes to the Universal Credit journal.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of employment support allowance recipients that have seen an overall reduction in benefit payments when council tax benefit has been withdrawn following the introduction of support for mortgage interest; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: Council Tax benefit has been replaced with Council Tax reduction schemes, which are the responsibility of Local Authorities (LAs). Most LAs will offer the maximum level of relief for those receiving income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The move to SMI loans will mean a very small number of claimants (around 100 across Great Britain) will lose entitlement to income-related ESA and will have to apply for Council Tax reduction on income grounds. It is open to any LA to adjust the way their scheme operates in the unlikely event that this results in any individuals receiving a lower level of support towards their Council Tax payments

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rivers: Pollution Control

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) pesticides and (b) chemicals do not enter rivers.

David Rutley: Pesticides are strictly regulated and are only authorised for use if the relevant information shows no unacceptable risks to the environment. This assessment takes account of the likelihood that the pesticide might enter water and the effects on aquatic organisms that might result. When a pesticide is authorised, conditions may be set to ensure the protection of water, such as buffer zones between the watercourse and the sprayed area. Chemical releases to rivers are controlled by a number of mechanisms. The manufacture and use of chemicals is initially regulated through legislation such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation which requires companies to register the chemicals they supply and assess their risks so they can recommend risk management measures in their supply chain. Higher risk substances may be subject to authorisation or restrictions on manufacture or use to reduce environmental exposure and therefore minimise risks. Direct discharges of chemicals to rivers are controlled by environmental permits. Where necessary these include specific limits for concentrations of particular chemicals that can be discharged to a river to ensure that risks are managed and the environment and human health is protected. Discharge quality is monitored and enforcement action taken if permit limits are exceeded. We work closely with business, infrastructure and emergency service providers to provide advice to reduce the chance of accidental releases.

Plastics: Fracking

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of whether there is a link between fracking and the production of non-degradable plastics.

David Rutley: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to PQ 146306.

Air Pollution

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what dates (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials of his Department have met with the (i) Department for Transport and (ii) Heathrow Airport Limited to discuss air pollution since June 2017; and if he will place copies of the minutes of those meetings in the Library.

David Rutley: Defra Ministers and officials have frequent, ongoing engagement with DfT counterparts in relation to air pollution, particularly through the work of the Dft-Defra Joint Air Quality Unit and the recent development of the Clean Air Strategy, as well as in relation to Heathrow. The honourable Member for Putney has made a Freedom of Information request asking for similar information. My department will respond to that request by the deadline provided.

Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill (Draft)

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the findings of its consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill.

George Eustice: I refer the Honourable Member to the reply given to the Honourable Member for Bristol East, on 27 March 2018 PQ UIN 133919.

Insects: Yorkshire and the Humber

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the health of wild pollinating insects in Yorkshire and the Humber.

David Rutley: The UK Government collates data and publishes indicators showing trends in abundance and distribution of pollinating insects at national scale on an annual basis. These are available at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6851. We have not assessed the size or health of wild pollinator populations at county level.   Data collected by volunteers on the status of wild species locally is available through the websites of various National Schemes and Societies or through the Biological Records Centre, which is supported by public bodies including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Research Councils.

Special Protection Areas: Birds

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what sites recommended to his Department by Natural England for classification or reclassification as Special Protection Areas under the Wild Birds Directive are not yet classified as such; on what date each such recommendation was received; and when he plans to classify those sites.

David Rutley: Defra has received scientific advice from Natural England regarding the following potential Special Protection Areas: Bowland Fells (addition of lesser black backed gull) - Natural England departmental brief received 2 October 2012;Flamborough and Filey Coast (site extension) - Natural England departmental brief received 19 June 2013;Solway Firth (site extension) – Natural England departmental brief received 26 June 2015;Solent and Dorset Coast (new marine site) – Natural England departmental brief received 8 September 2015;Crouch and Roach Estuaries (site extension) - Natural England departmental brief received 9 March 2016;Isles of Scilly (site extension) – Natural England departmental brief received 9 March 2018; andTeesmouth and Cleveland Coast (site extension) - Natural England departmental brief received 9 March 2018. The decision to classify the above sites formally will be made following consideration of the respective public consultations and in view of other site designation priorities.

Home Office

Local Government Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding his Department is making available to local authorities to support Commonwealth and Windrush applicants with their urgent and immediate (a) financial and (b) housing needs.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has sent out communications urging other government departments and public authorities to exercise particular care when responding to applications for benefits and services from the Windrush generation.Individuals who are unable to show their entitlement to live in the UK are urged to contact the Home Office. A dedicated team will quickly and sensitively help Windrush, and other long-term residents, to evidence their right to be in the UK and to access the benefits and services they need.The Government is clear that where the Windrush generation have suffered loss, they will be compensated. As a first stage, the Home Office has launched a Call for Evidence as an opportunity for those who have been affected, and their families, to tell us what happened, how it affected them and what they believe the compensation scheme needs to address.We have not decided any details of the scheme. It is important that we don’t rush to judgement and as a first step we need to listen to those affected, before we can engage on the details of a scheme.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the 2015 change in citizenship rules requiring non-UK EU citizens living in Britain to have a permanent residency card to apply for naturalisation was communicated to those so affected.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the case of Inga Lockington, if he will assess the effectiveness of the rules on applying for naturalisation for non-UK EU citizens who have lived in Britain for more than five years.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proof of residency EU citizens who apply for British citizenship are able to provide if they do not have permanent residence cards.

Caroline Nokes: The requirement for applicants who are permanently resident in the UK under the EEA Regulations to provide a document confirming this as part of their naturalisation application was introduced in 2015. The requirement is set out in the application form and accompanying guidance which everyone is advised to read before applying, as well the naturalisation pages on Gov.uk.Where an EEA national does not possess a permanent residence card, then they would still be able to demonstrate that they are free from immigration time restrictions if they have obtained that status through alternative means, such as being granted indefinite leave under the Immigration Rules. However, where they seek to rely on residence under the EEA Regulations then a permanent residence card is required.The requirement for EEA nationals to provide a document confirming their permanent residence as part of an application to naturalise is in line with the requirements for all other nationals and those EEA nationals who settled under the Immigration Rules, such as Mrs Lockington. Whilst it is regrettable that Mrs Lockington’s application was initially refused, this was promptly addressed and the correct decision reached once brought to the attention of UKVI.

Migrant Workers: Conditions of Employment

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether migrants who are working on tier 2 visas can exclude strike or industrial action from the 20-day limit on unpaid leave from work.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  whether migrants working on a tier 2 Skilled worker visa are able to include strike or industrial action as exceptions to the limit of 20 days of unpaid leave from work.

Caroline Nokes: Paragraph 323AA of the Immigration Rules defines circumstances where a Tier 2 migrant’s leave may be curtailed. This includes absences from work without pay for four weeks or more during any calendar year. There is no specified exemption for strike or industrial action. The Home Office does however consider the circumstances before deciding whether to take curtailment action.

Migrant Workers: Doctors

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests for a visa by overseas doctors have been rejected since January 2017.

Caroline Nokes: Information on Tier 2 entry clearance visa applications broken down by outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to (a) support and (b) incentivise local authorities to go further than their duty to hold a self-build register and actively bring forward sites for self-build properties.

Dominic Raab: The Department has published comprehensive planning guidance to support authorities in taking forward their duties under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding legislation. MHCLG is also providing a total of £95,850 new burdens funding to each relevant authority over 3 years to set up the register and deliver permissions suitable for self and custom build housing.The Department is supporting the National Custom and Self Build Association’s Right to Build Task Force which aims to help local authorities, community groups and other organisations across the UK deliver large, affordable custom and self-build housing projects. Officials have also delivered a programme of regional workshops for local authorities to assist them in discharging their duties and we will continue to assess what more the Department can do in this area.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2017 to Question 111244, when he plans to publish his conclusions on levels of compliance with Energy Performance Certificate requirements.

Dominic Raab: The Department is expecting to receive returns from local weights and measures authorities on their enforcement activity in 2017/18 in relation to the enforcement of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations. The Department will consider this information alongside information provided for previous years and set out its conclusions in due course.

Planning Permission

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Development Management Plans from local planning authorities that fail to meet their full Objectively Assessed Housing Need are not classified as unsound by (a) his Department and (d) the Planning Inspectorate solely on the grounds that greenfield sites on Green Belt land have not been recommended for release.

Dominic Raab: The failure to release Green Belt would not in itself be a reason that a plan would be found unsound. Where authorities are not proposing to meet all of their identified housing need, they should show what options they have explored for meeting their need, and only release Green Belt land if exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated.

Housing

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what methodology is used to determine his Department's Objectively Assessed Housing Need and Strategic Housing Market Assessment figures.

Dominic Raab: There is currently no standard way of assessing housing need among local planning authorities, which causes delays and increases costs for councils. In the draft revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, we have proposed a standard method that will result in an easier, cheaper and more transparent process. We intend to publish the revised Framework this summer.

Housing: Construction

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a)  housing regeneration, (b) site clearance, and (c) housing demolitions to prepare sites for redevelopment in each of the last three years.

Dominic Raab: The Estate Regeneration Programme is currently supporting and working with over 100 estates across the country.£150 million recoverable loan funding was made available under the 2014/15 Estate Regeneration Programme to support estate regeneration, encouraging partnership working and investment from the private sector. In 2016 this was increased by a further £140 million.In March 2017, £32 million of grant was allocated to 91 local authorities and housing associations to accelerate schemes at the early stage of estate regeneration.The Autumn Budget 2017 announced additional funding of £400 million recoverable loan finance.We are determined that housing growth should be supported by the right infrastructure provided at the right time, which is why we have created the £5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund to provide infrastructure to potentially unlock up to 600,000 homes in areas where housing need is greatest.

Social Rented Housing: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy on increasing the number of disability-accessible bungalows in the social rented sector.

Nigel Adams: Although there is no centralised target, Homes England works closely with local authorities - who best understand local needs and planning priorities - and providers, to encourage them to bring forward housing schemes that support the housing needs of those with disabilities and other vulnerable people, including disability-accessible bungalows and other accessible or supported housing.We have been clear that providing safe and suitable homes for vulnerable people is a Government priority. The Government Housing White Paper 'Fixing Our Broken Housing Market' published in February 2017, set out the Government’s policy on increasing housing supply, and the ways in which the planning system will be used to deliver more suitable homes for people with disabilities.

Housing

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of demographic changes on the housing requirements in (a) urban and (b) rural areas.

Dominic Raab: Housing requirements are the responsibility of local planning authorities and should take into account both demographic changes and the needs of different areas.

Building Regulations

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been members of all competent persons schemes in England, excluding part P, in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The number of members of competent person schemes, not including those in Part P schemes, by statistical year (April to March) is as follows:Year Members2010/11 25,1362011/12 33,0822012/13 33,2422013/14 30,0472014/15 26,7362015/16 19,2862016/17 22,8342017/18 23,614

Building Regulations

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many notifications there have been under competent persons schemes in England, excluding part P, in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The number of notifications in England and Wales made by installers registered with competent person schemes, not including those made by installers registered with Part P schemes for each statistical year (April to March) is as follows:Year Notifications2010/11 1,004,8002011/12 1,279,3052012/13 1,416,7672013/14 1,162,0742014/15 1,247,9952015/16 1,094,1192016/17 1,037,8472017/18 941,243

Homelessness: Proof of Identity

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assistance with the cost of applying for (a) a passport or (b) other identification is given to homeless persons requiring identification to move into work or housing.

Nigel Adams: The Government provides over £1.2 billion in funding to tackle homelessness. £617 million is in Flexible Homelessness Support Grant funding to local authorities for them to support those facing homelessness or who are homeless in ways they deem appropriate – which could include support to gather evidence of identity.

Housing: Multiple Occupation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many houses in multiple occupation there have been in each year since 2013.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



An estimate of houses in multiple occupation in England is publicly available in the Local Authority Housing Statistic (LAHS) return Section F Question 8 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data.These are estimated figures for the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England only, information relating to other parts of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration.

Social Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to meet their statutory duties for adult social care.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the number of high-rise blocks that have dangerous aluminium composite material cladding by (a) type of tenure and (b) region.

James Brokenshire: Information on the number of high-rise blocks that have dangerous aluminium composite material cladding by tenure and local authority area is available in the Department’s monthly data release. The latest can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-may-2018.

Owner Occupation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of home ownership since 2010.

Dominic Raab: Data on home ownership rates can be found on the Department's website. See AT 1.1 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676433/2016-17_Section_1_Households_Annex_Tables.xlsxand the latest dwelling stock statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwelling-stock-estimates-in-england-2017

Local Government Finance: Somerset

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May to Question 143143 on local government finance, whether his Department considers Somerset County Council as being at risk.

Rishi Sunak: The Department constantly reviews the challenges facing the sector and individual authorities, including financial risk. All local authorities have a responsibility to set a balanced budget; following the consultation on the 2018/19 Local Government Finance Settlement, all councils have set a balanced budget for the financial year 2018-19.The Department considers a range of information about individual authorities in order to form judgements about the scale of challenge they may face. The judgements made are individual and nuanced; we do not comment on the financial health of individual councils.

Affordable Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the ability of local authorities in England to provide affordable housing.

Jake Berry: My Department has been engaging with local authorities and a wide range of other interested parties to prepare for a range of scenarios, and will continue to engage with the sector on EU exit going forward. My Department is also working across Whitehall to understand the implications that leaving the EU has for delivering our housing objectives.

Social Rented Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to ensure that lending alternatives equivalent to those currently provided by the European Investment Bank are available to local authorities for the provision of housing after the UK leaves the EU.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

National Security Council

Nia Griffith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 143701, for what reason the National Security Council sub-committee on matters relating to cyber programmes and policy development does not appear on the list supplied in that answer; and if he will list the Ministers who are members of that sub-committee.

Mr David Lidington: Cyber has now become part of the NSC Strategic Defence and Security Review sub-committee (NSC(SDSR)). A list of National Security Sub- Committee members can be found on GOV.UK https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/685004/20180301_Cabinet_Committees_and_Implementation_Taskforces.pdf

Election Addresses: Internet

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will extend the requirement for political campaigning material to carry an appropriate imprint to inform readers of its promoter to include online material and social media.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to the Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood to PQ148915 on 7 June 2018.

Treasury

Bank Services: Small Businesses

Christian Matheson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that banks maintain records for longer than five years in response to possible legal actions on the mis-selling of (a) tailored business loans and (b) other financial products to small businesses.

John Glen: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 23 April 2018.The correct answer should have been:

Oversight of banks’ record-keeping processes for regulated activities, certain related activities, and other ancillary services specifically covered under EU law  and redress schemes regarding the mis-selling of tailored business loans and other financial products to small businesses is the responsibility of the operationally independent Financial Conduct Authority.For other activities, such as traditional commercial lending, including Tailored Business Loans, record keeping processes are not subject to FCA requirements and are therefore legal and commercial decisions for banks.

John Glen: Oversight of banks’ record-keeping processes for regulated activities, certain related activities, and other ancillary services specifically covered under EU law  and redress schemes regarding the mis-selling of tailored business loans and other financial products to small businesses is the responsibility of the operationally independent Financial Conduct Authority.For other activities, such as traditional commercial lending, including Tailored Business Loans, record keeping processes are not subject to FCA requirements and are therefore legal and commercial decisions for banks.

Sugar: Taxation

Keith Vaz: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount to be accrued to the public purse by the sugar tax in 2018-19.

Robert Jenrick: The latest estimation of receipts from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in 2018/19 is £240m, as published by the Office for Budget Responsibility in March 2018.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 117659 on Electric Vehicles: Finance, what the timetable is for the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund to be in operation.

Robert Jenrick: Following the announcement of this fund at Autumn Budget, the Government has been engaging extensively with the private sector to ensure that it is set up in the most effective way. This includes holding meetings with over 80 stakeholders. We expect to launch the procurement for the private sector fund manager shortly. Once a preferred fund manager is nominated and the legal documents agreed, the fund will be formally launched and start investing. Further details on the fund will be included in the forthcoming zero emission road transport strategy.

Help to Buy Scheme

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of households assisted under the Help to Buy scheme earned within 10 per cent of the national average household income.

John Glen: The Treasury operates two Help to Buy schemes – the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee and the Help to Buy: ISA. The mortgage guarantee has now closed and was a product offered to lenders to encourage higher loan to value (LTV) lending. Help to Buy: ISAs are offered to the public by 28 banks and building societies directly - the Treasury therefore does not hold information on individual savers.

Electric Vehicles

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June to Question 150632 on Motor Vehicles: Hydrogen, whether the difference between his Government’s allocation of £30 million for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle refuelling and £200 million for battery electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund reflects a departmental preference on future transport choices.

Robert Jenrick: The government’s approach to future transport choices is technology neutral and we seek to encourage different forms of technology wherever available. Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are zero emission vehicles and have the potential to play a significant role, alongside battery electric vehicles, in improving air quality and decarbonising road transport. The development and deployment of FCEVs is at an earlier stage than for battery electric vehicles, and policy measures reflect differing levels of market maturity.

Child Benefit: Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new parents received bounty packs with paperwork containing information on applying for child benefit in Birkenhead in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Elizabeth Truss: HMRC does not hold this information.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will arrange for a response to be sent to the letter from the hon. Member for Slough of 30 April 2018 sent on behalf of a constituent to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, reference TD2873.

Elizabeth Truss: I have replied to the hon. Member for Slough. A copy of my reply has also been sent by email.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

World War I: War Memorials

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement of 1 July 2014 ,Details of £5 million fund to repair, protect, and conserve First World War memorials revealed, how much and what proportion of that funding has been spent.

Michael Ellis: Of the £5 million fund announced in July 2014 for the conservation and protection of war memorials, £3,435,000 had been spent by the end of FY 2017/18, with the remainder projected to be spent by March 2019. The majority of this funding (£4.5 million) has gone towards the First World War Memorials Programme which sees Civic Voice, Historic England, the Imperial War Museums (IWM), and War Memorials Trust (WMT) working in partnership with the public on a programme of recording, research, conservation and listing to ensure war memorials across the country are protected and the people they commemorate are remembered.

Cultural Heritage: Aircraft

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting heritage aviation organisations to acquire ex-military aircraft and associated equipment for (a) flying and (b) static displays when they are disposed of by the Ministry of Defence.

Michael Ellis: We recognise the important heritage value of ex-military aircraft and equipment; however, it is for museums and other organisations to determine acquisitions appropriate for their collections. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport estimates that it has given over £500,000 towards the rescue of ex-military aircraft through the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The Heritage Lottery Fund has also provided £3.5million in support of ex-military aircraft.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is responsible for the disposal of ex-military aircraft and equipment. The MOD’s gifting policy acknowledges the heritage value of ex-military aircraft and equipment, and permits gifting to DCMS and MOD-sponsored museums.

Mass Media: Equality

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of organising a summit of media organisations to examine the issues of representation of people with visible differences in the media.

Margot James: We are committed to improving diversity in all its sectors. This is particularly important in the media which should reflect everyone in society, including those with visible differences. My department will continue to support the sector's steps towards this goal, by recognising the value of initiatives such as Project Diamond, and working closely with media organisations and Ofcom in relation to this matter.

Local Press: Closures

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the number of local newspapers which have closed down in each year since 2010.

Margot James: However, as set out in the manifesto, the government is committed to ensuring there are sustainable business models for high quality news media, including at local and regional levels. The government has established the Cairncross Review to address this important issue and as part of its work, the review will draw on available data to examine the current state of the press market at local, regional and national levels.

Government Art Collection

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3698 on Government Art Collection, which items from the Government Art Collection have been displayed at public museums or galleries in the UK in each of the last five years.

Michael Ellis: The information requested can be found on the attached PDF.The Government Art Collection not only provides public access to the collection through loans to UK and international museums and galleries but also promotes British art, culture and creativity across 155 cities world wide. The collection of historic and contemporary art works contribute to UK soft power and diplomacy around the world.



List of GAC loans to UK Sites
(PDF Document, 282.36 KB)

Data Protection: EU Law

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the cost to (a) small clubs, (b) charities and (c) churches of compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation; and what assessment she has made of the current level of compliance with that regulation.

Margot James: The European Commission published an Impact Assessment on the regulatory impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is available on their website. HM Government's Impact Assessment for the Data Protection Bill assesses there will be implementation costs for a range of organisations but that the overall effect of the Act is de-regulatory. This Impact Assessment is available on gov.uk. The Information Commissioner is responsible for monitoring compliance with the UK's new data protection laws. The Information Commissioner’s Office has published a range of user-friendly material on the GDPR on its website. It has also set up a dedicated phone line for small businesses and charities. Details can be viewed at: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/advice-service-for-small-organisations/.